"G-2" (1965) - TAGAPAGTANGGOL NG BATAS (Literary Song-Movie Magazine, January 16, 1965)

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Source:  Literary Song-Movie Magazine, January 16, 1965

(Courtesy of Simon Santos, Video 48)

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CABONEGRO (1966): KALABAN NG MGA SINDIKATO (Literary Song-Movie Magazine, March 1, 1966)

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Source:  Literary Song-Movie Magazine, March 1, 1966

(From the magazine collection courtesy of Simon Santos, Video 48)

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DIVINA VALENCIA'S 18TH BIRTHDAY: SA KAARAWAN NG ISANG BITUIN (Literary Song-Movie Magazine, October 1, 1964)

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Source:  Literary Song-Movie Magazine, October 1, 1964

(From the magazine collection courtesy of Simon Santos, Video 48)

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DIVINA VALENCIA: SHE LIGHTS UP THE SKY (Movie Confidential, April 1964)

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Source:  Movie Confidential, April 1964

(From the magazine collection courtesy of Simon Santos, Video 48)

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BIKINI BEACH PARTY (1967)

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"BIKINI BEACH PARTY" (1967)

Production:  Sampaguita Pictures, Inc.

Direction:  Conrado Conde

Stars:  Eddie Gutierrez, Divina Valencia, Shirley Moreno

Bella Flores, Boy Alano, German Moreno, Sarah Calvin

Romeo Rivera, Johnny Ysmael, Maria Victoria

Source:  Screen Stardom, Vol. IV, No. 6 (1967)

(From the mag collection courtesy of Teena)

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OH, MY PAPA! (1968)

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OH, MY PAPA!

Released October 7, 1968 / Ideal & Globe Theaters

Produced by  Lea Productions

Directed by Fely Crisostomo

Source:  Spotlight on Show Business Magazine, 1968

(Courtesy of Teena AL)\

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BIKINI BEACH PARTY (1967)

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BIKINI BEACH PARTY

Released Date:  January 29, 1967 at Life Theater

Production:  Sampaguita Pictures

Starring:  Eddie Gutierrez, Divina Valencia, Shirley Moreno

Directed by Conrado Conde

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"CALL ME BABY" - DIVINA VALENCIA (Movie World Magazine, 1968)

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Source:  Movie World Magazine, 1968
(From the magazine collection courtesy of Tina AL)


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KWATANG (Lea Productions, Release date: January 14, 1967, Dalisay Theater) RE-POST

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Screen Stardom Magazine, Vol. IV, No. 6 (1967)

(Courtesy of Tina Arguelles Liwanag)

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RONNIE POE AS A PRIEST (MGA ALABOK SA LUPA, FPJ Productions, 1967)

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The Weekly Nation

July 3, 1967

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SEX SYMBOLS OF PHILIPPINE MOVIES (The Weekly Nation, July 29, 1968)

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SEX SYMBOLS OF PHILIPPINE MOVIES

As published in The Weekly Nation, July 29, 1968

SHE looks divine with one eye partly covered by long hair.

     She is a stellar belle whose kisses tell.

     She is a daring miss as well as a songstress.

     She is a sleek cat whose name rhymes with leopard.

     She is the charmer with the Italian look.

     The five girls described above are Divina Valencia, Stella Suarez, Helen Thompson, Elsa Bouffard and Sofia Moran, in that order, who are all on this week's cover.  They rose to popularity on the crest of the sex wave that has hit the local screen with a loud roar.

     Divina and Stella could be credited with stirring up the current interest in sex on local celluloid.  They staged a lively rivalry for the title of sex queen of Philippine movies, sustained by a barrage of "hot" words and gamey display, that perked up every red-blooded male.

     The two cuties made good copy while it lasted.  Sample:

     Divina:  "I trap my man in a more subtle way than Stella does.  I throw him meaningful glances and, maybe, throw a leg also."

     Stella:  "I kiss better than Divina, without any effort, but I kiss with zest and gusto."

  Surprisingly, when the showdown over their much-publicized rivalry which was even celebrated in a jukebox hit came up, it was not Divina and Stella who slugged it out in physical combat but Stella and Lucita Soriano.

      Lucita, a purring pussycat in her own right, by the way, averred that she has retired from the sex race.  When asked by the WN photographer to pose also for the cover, she said she's trying to change her image and doesn't want to pose in a swimsuit.

     Stella antedated Divina in the sex derby.  Long before there was Divina, Stella cavorted in skimpy attire and swapped her first screen kiss with Sonny Padilla in some forgotten opus.  But Divina claimed, it's not the calendar that counts but she who has created the loudest whispers among the males.

     Divina became a big star overnight in 1963 in her second picture, Kardong Kidlat, when she rose from the waters of Montalban river, like Venus, in her pristine splendor.  As plain Consolacion Fuller, she was discovered by a talent scout in her sister's dress shop in Cavite.  She hid a birthmark under her right eye with a Veronica hairdo which, together with the bikini, has become her trademark.

     Stella was a plumpish and tomboyish teener named Josephine Icasiano before she joined the movies.  She was discovered by Atty. Ricardo Balatbat, the current president of the Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association, while he was attending a town fiesta in the north.

     The two cuties now call each other "comadre" and, to all appearances, are the best of friends, you wonder if their sexy battle wasn't a put-on.

Daring Beauty

     One girl with frank views on sex is Helen Thompson or the "daring Miss Thompson," as she has been tagged by many. She became the talk of the town during the coronation of the Lux Star of 1967 at the Plaza when she came in a gown with an almost topless front.

     Her fans will surely miss Helen.  Recently she jetted to the States reportedly to follow up a romance with actor Paul Edwards.  She made a picture, Destination:  Vietnam, in the wartorn country before heeding the call of Cupid.

     If Helen has a mind of her own, it's probably because she was born on Independence Day, June 12, in Timamana, Surigao.  She started out as a singer in 1960.  Her club, Ulog, was known for jazz music before she sold it to devote her full time to her movie career.

     Among the screen cuties, Helen is the most quotable.  Samples:

     "I always love my leading man a little in order to interpret the love scene more convincingly."

     "The man I marry should be romantic because I am very romantic myself.  I'd hate to have a bore for a bed partner."

Reluctant Pussycat

     Elsa Bouffard (pronounced like "leopard") is a reluctant pussycat.  "I don't go for sexy roles," she said.  But you are glad to note that it's not convincingly stated, for she's one of the sleekest cats hereabouts.

    Through Lilian Laing, Elsa got her start in the movies playing Catwoman to Dolphy's Batman in a Sampaguita opus.

     For the cover, Elsa obliged with a one-piece bathing suit but balked at a bikini.  "I will wear a bikini when I make my first foreign picture soon," she said.  She refused to divulge the title of the film and the outfit behind it, but she said it will be shot in the Philippines.

   Elsa is appearing in Nepomuceno's Igorota which reportedly features some topless beauties, including Charito Solis.  Elsa said she isn't portraying an Igorot girl in the picture although she'd love to, because she is too mestiza-looking.  Sayang.

     Born on a ship while wending its way towards the Manila bay, Elsa has been globe-trotting ever since she can remember.  Working with a number of airlines -- TWA, Pan American, BOAC, among others -- has made her an expert in packing her bag at a moment's notice.

    Elsa isn't content with body englishing on the screen.  She hopes to do a bit of Strasberg or Stanislavsky too.  That is why she is very enthusiastic about her latest assignment with Regina wherein she plays a dope addict.

Exotic Charmer

    The sexy girl getting plump roles these days is Sofia Moran.  Some of the cuties are now too plump so they are getting lean roles.

     This dark and exotic-looking beauty doesn't mind being bussed on the screen.  "I'll do kissing scenes as long as they are done with taste," she said.  

    Sofia was introduced in Valiente Brothers where her photogenic assets were brought to the fore in full color.  Since then, producers have been knocking at her door to offer her sexy parts.

     Before she was named after Italy's Sophia Loren, this dusky charmer was plain Solly Baylon from Nabua, Camarines Norte.  She was discovered for the movies by the now defunct Dansil Productions.

    Sofia used to have a pet shop before becoming an actress.  She had a huge monkey-eating eagle for a pet and when it died she had it stuffed.  It now forms part of the decor of her living room.

     Sofia is a loner and doesn't go much for parties.  Her reluctance to talk about her love life gives her an air of mystery.

      But one thing that's no mystery is her going places in the movies.  Anybody can plainly see the reason why.  -- DV

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THE SWEET, THE SEXY, THE SCREWY, THE SERIOUS (The Weekly Nation, October 22, 1965)

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THE SWEET, THE SEXY, THE SCREWY, THE SERIOUS

Published in:  The Weekly Nation Magazine

                       October 22, 1965

VARIETY OF TYPES among local movie actresses has come, after some delay, with the evolution of the female film personality in other parts of the world.  Somehow, this development puts Filipino movie queens abreast of screen modes abroad.

     The singular sentimental type of old, therefore, has been washed out by the deluge of tearjerkers that cascaded from local studios until the early fifties.  In her place now are four distinct kinds:  the sweet, the sexy, the screwy, and the serious, each with its own public.

     Since before World War II, the sweet type projected the ideal Filipina.  Representatives of this line were Rosa del Rosario, Corazon Noble, Carmen Rosales, Tita Duran, and , later, Gloria Romero.  they struck a contrast to Hollywood's favorites of the time:  Marlene Dietrich, Hedy Lamarr, Dorothy Lamour, and other pre-war screen sirens.

     Today's most popular sweet babes of the local screen are Susan Roces, Rosemarie, Amalia Fuentes, plus a handful of less admired personalities.  Sampaguita Pictures is the home of the sweetest types in the country.

Susan -- Grace Kelly

     Susan Roces presents the Grace Kelly school -- prim and proper, model daughter, prudent in love, subdued in hate, composed in joy and dainty in sorrow.  Like Grace, Susan earned some sort of royal title herself when she became Queen of Philippine Movies a few years ago.

   Susan's kid sister, Rosemarie, is the modern teenager without parallel in other countries.  Actually a blooming young woman now, she is true to form even off the screen, just like her sister.  At the recent gala premiere of The Sandpiper, she appeared in the preceding fashion show in an elegant Filipino costume, bearing that alluringly meek carriage only a true-blood Filipina knows how to effect.

   Amalia Fuentes carries the sentimental strain in her sweetness even in real life.  When friends surprised her with a midnight asalto on her recent birthday, she sobbed her heart out in joy.

     In her roles, Amalia is a good-natured girl, an example of humility and kindness, but oppressed by the evil elements in love, fortune, and womanhood.  In her current picture, The Love Affair Of Amy And Bobby, which is being filmed in Europe, she plays an only daughter deeply in love with a playboy (Bobby), and victim of a fatal ailment.

     Joy is usually a glorious twist in Amalia's pictures.  The great appeal of her sweetness is in her loveliness in sadness.  Her girlish ways arouse heart throbs among her fans, and at 25 these are still her identifying marks.

Symbolize Fine Womanhood

     Susan, Rosemarie and Amalia differ in style but they all symbolize fine Filipino womanhood.  Their fans, on the other hand, themselves champions of Filipino womanhood in words, diehard Catholics and at the same time worshippers of the Beatles, gobble up such stuff and thereby keep the screen Maria Claras in business.

     The happy era in the early fifties spawned the screwy type of star, an offbeat swing from the proven moneymaker -- the cry baby.  Occasionally, the sweet types switch over to screwball roles where they are readily appreciated.  Susan, for instance, was  hit in her riotious Susanang Daldal and Susanang Twist.

     Rosemarie has been in a number of screwy-kid roles, but unlike Susan, she hasn't done down-to-earth slapsticks.  She confines herself to juvenile situation comedy.

     Amalia did some farce pieces early in her career.  Screwy roles are impractical for her now, for even in subtle comedy she must maintain her sweet-girl appeal.  If she has to be zany in some scenes, she has to end the picture projecting her characteristic selling point.

     The queen of the screwy type, the magnificent expert who hasn't been duplicated, is Nida Blanca.  She is still the mistress of the line after more than ten years of monopoly.  Her talent and appeal, yet undiminished, now delight more through television wherein she horses around with her perennial romantic foe, Nestor de Villa.

     A genius at comedy, Nida is superb in drama, as proved in her performance in Sa Atin Ang Daigdig.  She is a born all-around actress with an irrepressible bent for hilarity.

Burst On Screen

     Nida succeeded no one.  She burst on the local screen bringing a new style of comedy, a subtle one as compared with that of Patsy or Aruray.  The chuckles she provoked were a relief from the stodgy romances or the slapstick stuff of the time.

    Below Nida are the amateurs of humor, Sampaguita's brood who have not improved after a series of Mga Batang ... Being glamor starlets, they don't seem cut out for fine comedy.

      A far cry from the sweet and the screwy types is the sexy or the sex symbol as they have been called by psychoanalysts.  They are the most advanced (or retrogressive, depending on one's moral philosophy) creation in local movies.

     Though inferior in all respects to the sex symbols in other countries, the local femmes fatale are the boldest innovation in Tagalog film traditions.  These enchantresses were introduced by the breakers of the ancient mores in moviemaking in this country, the independent studios.

    The sex kittens enjoying box-office milk today are gorgeous Stella Suarez and shapely Divina Valencia.  Stella, with her voluptuous figure, is an adept screen temptress, while Divina, tall and statuesque, combines both seductiveness and seductivity.  The latter's sexiest form is in being raped and disrobed by villains.

     Both Stella and Divina specialize in action vehicles wherein they justifiably sport provoking costumes.  Sex in local pictures being a fad, the likes of Stella and Divina aren't expected to be around for long.  Meanwhile, they're giving movie viewers, particularly the male sector, an added spice to action, or something to look forward to.

The Serious Type

     A symbol of prestige in Filipino films is the serious type.  Elsewhere in the world this class is the one that survives the changes of morals and tastes.  Great dramatic stars of past decades, such as Ingrid Bergman, Maureen O'Hara, Deborah Kerr, Susan Hayward, and many other serious types are still going strong.

     Though, like their foreign counterparts, the local dramatic stars are the ones who have made the best films, they have been less prolific.  The Filipino movie industry is such that it kills quality for money.  Fortunately, the serious ones still get called into a serious picture once in a blue moon.  And so, talents like Lolita Rodriguez and Barbara Perez haven't entirely vanished.

      Our serious actresses are probably just as capable as foreign dramatic stars.  For one, Barbara earned good reviews in New York for her performance in No Man Is An Island a few years ago.  Locally, Lolita is still the recognized top dramatic star.

     Pursuing artistic satisfaction, the serious stars ignore glamor.  In a certain role Lolita appeared ugly as an alcoholic, while recently, in Daigdig Ng Mga Api, Barbara played a pregnant farmer's wife posing as such even in advertising photos.

     Such are the four main types of Filipino actresses for far.  Which is the best?  That depends on your taste.  But the ones whom most favor are still those with the best looks despite their histrionic shortcomings.

     However, not everyone can be beautiful, so there's room for all the sweet, the sexy, the screwy, and the serious.

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WHAT DIVINA HAS DONE TO HER CAREER (The Weekly Nation, March 25, 1968)

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WHAT DIVINA HAS DONE TO HER CAREER

By Ricardo F. Lo

PROFESSIONALLY and personally, Divina Valencia has changed a lot.

     Before, all she needed to do was to shed her garments and people flocked the theater to see her films.  Her name spelled magic at the box office due to her curves and torrid clinches with her leading men.  And she generated frenzy among the members of the board of censors with her spicy pictures.

      Too much physical exposure however took a toll on her system and the gawking public started to rub its eyes in exhaustion.  Her career somewhat chilled.

     Divina acted fast just in time to prevent her career from sluicing down the drain.

     Setting aside her sexy image she went on to show to all and sundry that she's got more than just a seductive physique.

     Her outstanding portrayal in Sidra, in which for the first time Divina revealed her acting talent instead of her figure, restrengthened her hold on the public and catapulted her into the ranks of local filmdom's dramatic stalwarts.  As Sidra, Divina played an orphan left with nobody to turn to for support but a cruel uncle (played by Van de Leon) who later compelled her to dabble in a dubious life.

     To prove that her performance in Sidra was no fluke, Divina accepted more and more of the same demanding roles.  In the process, she displayed more than just thespic talent but also versatility.  She showed that she is also adept in dancing and singing (in Jala-Jala Jerk with Eddie Mesa), in tough acting ("I'm sorry," she apologized, "but I have lost count of the number of action films I have appeared in."  Conservative estimate:  30), in ribtickling (in Kwatang), and in tearjerking (in Bato Sa Bato).

     Recently Divina gave her acting reputation another shot in the arm with her spine-tingling interpretation of a rich heiress who doubted her sanity in her third try as a producer, Psycho-Maniac.

     Thus, the triumph that gave to Divina Valencia, the actress.

As A Person

     As a person,  Divina seemed to have also taken a turn for the better.  She has learned to control her temper and tantrums and to banter and gag with movie scribes.  Before she used to be an abrasive person who perplexed scribes and many people.  Once she was even reported to have mouthed snide remarks at the press and in the process inadvertently waged a one-woman war against reporters.  In the long run, she had to eat her words and apologize.

     Today Divina is a cool and composed woman who knows how to respect other people's opinions.  Her maverick ways are gone.

     She took the cursillo and the little course opened her eyes to her faults.

     Said she:  "The cursillo has broadened my perspective and brightened my outlook in life.  It has taught me two very important lessons in life:  patience and humility."

     Divina wants to enmeshed herself in work.  She has big dreams and she believes their fulfillment is possible only through hard work,  In involving herself in the thick of toil, Divina cliams she finds the consolation to her frustrations and the satisfaction she couldn't find somewhere else.

     Love, she said, is out of the question in the meantime.

     "I don't want to poke my finger into the romantic pie.  A serious romantic involvement at present would only hamper the realization of my many aspirations.  I'm even afraid love would only get me into a mess."  (However during the birthday bash thrown by Max Alvarado, Divina made quite a twosome throughout the night with Eddie Gutierrez, who is rumored to have finally reconciled with her after his adventurous spree.)

     She claims that she'd give marriage a thought when she reached 25, four years hence.  And she would say yes only to a man who is tall, dark, and not handsome.  "He must be about 10 years my senior because I expect him not only to be a husband but likewise a father to me."

     Her reason for not preferring goodlooking men?

     "I'm by nature very possessive.  Handsome guys are inclined to go astray, aren't they?"

Source:  The Weekly Nation, March 25, 1968

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DIVINA TALKS ABOUT HER LATEST LOVE (The Weekly Nation Magazine, March 17, 1969)

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Article written by Remigio M. Umerez

The Weekly Nation, March 17, 1969

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DIVINA VALENCIA SPEAKS (The Weekly Nation, October 8, 1967)

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Article written by Ricardo F. Lo

The Weekly Nation, October 8, 1967

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DIVINA'S BIG SPLASH (The Weekly Nation, 1965)

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DIVINA'S BIG SPLASH

by George C. Alvarez

FROM A MERE innocent-faced teenager from Cavite late in 1963, Divina Valencia has since graduated into the forefront of the Philippine cinema's sex sweepstakes.

"Let's face it, I was a nobody then.  I was just a plain coed enrolled in a secretarial course in Cavite when I was discovere through a photo of mine at my sister's dress shop.  The rest is history -- and I became what I am now.  Modesty aside, I am a somebody now, and I simply love and enjoy it!"  Divina gushed as the Weekly NATION interviewed her as she was about to start shooting Labanan Ng Mga Babae, with Stella Suarez who is Divina's closest rival in the sex symbol race.  She had then just finished TIIP's Labanang Lalaki.

Divina was born Consolacion Divina Valencia Fuller on September 1, 1946 in Abucay, Bataan.  She is of Filipino-Spanish-German-American parentage.  Her father was US Army Major Waldorf Fuller.  She is the youngest in a family of six; she has three sisters and two brothers.

"My family turned full force against me when they learned that stardom would mean doing nude scenes.  My mother said she would reject me as a daughter; my brothers, my sisters, my relatives, and the whole neighborhood literally condemned me and kept stabbing me with killing looks!"  Divina reminisced.

Tips One's Hat

Looking at Divina's film record since she made quite a big splash in her first starring role (a bandit girl in love with Jess Lapid in TIIP's Kardong Kidlat), one can only tip one's hat off to her and throw her a meaningful glance and a wolf's whistle.

"In my first picture as a lead actress (she was just an extra in Basagulero, which preceded Kardong Kidlat), it took much time and effort from the TIIP producer, Atty. Esperidion Laxa, and Director Armando Garces to cajole me to do a bathing sequence fully nude.  I had not, in my life, appeared before in the nude in public -- and with people piercingly looking at me yet!, Divina, barely blushing, mused.

"So, naturally, I turned down their persuasions and explanations at first.  Thinking it over, however, I consented to do the scene because I said to myself that if I wanted to be an actress in the true sense of the word, I had to portray realistically the scenes demanded by the script.  Moreover, sex actually has already caught up with us, in this modern world.  As such, before anybody else jumps the gun on me, I reasoned to myself, why shouldn't I start the neo-realistic trend?  As you can see, I have somehow succeeded to a maximum degree, and I am glad!" Divina triumphantly smiled and winked at us, the mole below her left eye seemingly also smiling.

Gladsomely enough, the roles she has already portrayed are quite a variety of types.  She was a guerrillera in Ito Ang Lalaki, a bikini-clad smuggler in Agent 69, a ranch girl in Isa Lang Ang Hari, a cigaret-vendor who turned ballerina in  Lovers' Street, a village maiden in Markong Bagsik, a doctor's daughter in Api Ngunit Lumalaban, and a vamp, a tramp, a cat, a kitten, and what-have-you.

"What I want to try now is to act in a musical, a pure song-and-dance film.  I might yet do this kind of movie if Col. Jacinto B. Chong, producer of JBC Productions, and I agree regarding his recent offer to star opposite Eddie Mesa in his upcoming film, Manila A-Go-Go," she told us.

"I also want to play a nun or a girl who sets her wiles on a priest.  The girl, however, should eventually change.  Crime doesn't pay, you know!"

"To this effect, I would want to make it clear that sex isn't a crime.  Sex is something we, people, should cherish; it being God-given and all that.  It shouldn't be associated with dirt.  Sex, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder should truly behold it or lo, there goes his existence!"

Having gone into this rather long explanation, Divina momentarily became quiet and seemed to palate each word that she had just uttered.

"I also would want to make it clear that stripping down to one's birthday clothes isn't a playful business, as most of my colleagues in the movie world think.  It requires much effort and talent, it requires much swallowing of one's own pride.  Hence, when I am literally spanked by statements that I haven't got talent to spare, I spank myself, and say that I have got IT, and that's enough.  Having IT, you know, is having talent!"

Divina then looked at us, piercingly, boldly, to show us perhaps that she really has got talent, that she really has got it.  And we Agree. 

Source:  The Weekly Nation Magazine

                Year 1965

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